Urban Renewal Minister Invites Woods Pond Vendors to Meeting

Are they and issue?.
I never thought so.
They are off the road and do not pose any hindrance to vehicular traffic.
Are they even on government’s land?
I surely would love to be at that meeting to hear what plan/s that he has for the area especially if they are not on government’s land.

Mi glad dem finally include the vendors in the conversation.

The vendors deserve respect — they’ve been holding down that spot for years.

Mi just hope dis na end up in displacement like other ‘urban renewal’ projects.

They better come with solutions, not just surveys and speeches.

Mi hope vendors go in unity and speak up strong for what dem need.

@ straightshooter of course is not issue with them and the traffic flow (outside) the pallets stuff I’m some of them (vendors)…is the retards who parking as usual they think is their home. The same stuff going all over in this island..patrons (many of them) simple don’t care,at the mean time,you suggest some AND YOU GET HARASSMENT RIGHT AND LEFT for do so.

Ps. As many say ME BON YAH

@Straight shooter…you probably have your head in the sand like those booby that frequent the pond.

It’s time to bring sanity to the unsanitary conditions caused by these POP UP vending sites, that become permanent eyesores over time.
It’s only a drunk Insane mas player would not see this as an issue when it comes to aesthetics, since;

…their main concern is to be, …what, they want to be;
…as in, DRUNK & DISORDERLY
…whine and skin_out; and throw back batty!

Why is regulations which brings normalcy to humanity so difficult to understand, by certain HUEmans?

Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
De’ole Dutty Peg🦶🏾Garrat_Bastard

Vere C. Edwards

They hold back traffic on the road and create confusion as cars drive towards and from friars hill road. Why should vendors have access to the public streets ?
We need to end our 3rd world mentality that … its just the little man.

We already have an issue with the amount of vehicles on the tiny roadways and the traffic congestion. Now more and more vendors occupy the roadways causing customers to further flood the streets making the roadways even more and more congested and unsafe.
Keep the vendors in the market or in a complex but not along roadways.
Another issue is the unsightly shacks and old pallet wood they erect which is an eye sore to most people and a shame and disrespect to our twin island state.
This is an island where we promote tourism and depend on it.
This is an eye sore to our visitors and a disgrace to what the government is trying to do, the government clean up and we mess it up and tear down and setup shacks and litter the dyam place. Government need to allocate more land to these vendors and charge those who violate by deciding to sell along our roadways, that’s the only way they will understand.

Just a few suggestions if the land where the vendors are belongs to the government ….

Build a dedicated structure complete with roof and segmented vendor stalls.

Charge a daily, weekly, or monthly rental fee.

Stress the importance of removing all items and refuse at close of each day and keeping the space clean orderly, and attractive

Set hours of operation.

Hire someone to be hands on and on-site to oversee / manage this outdoor vending space dealing with violations accordingly.

I am impressed with Minister Turner and his staff’s efforts in making and keeping our island clean and attractive. Keep up the good work.

Build little booth like colourful and nice uplift the area.
A small fee can be charged as teacher for life said.
I like the shopping area for my vegetables instead of going into st.johns.

Why bother to waste time with a crooked vision straight shooter?
Whoever gave these vendors at the Woods Mall permission to set up their stalls along that strip should be the one(s) responsible for finding them alternative accommodation!
Yes, they are an eyesore, especially after hours. As with the other vendors who set up arbitrarily in and around St. John’s, these people have NO sense of aesthetic pride in their surroundings. Most of them are non-nationals, including at least one Syrian vendor of household appliances, who might be accustomed to this concept of shanty-town markets where they come from. We should not change our cultural patterns to accommodate them!
And yes, the location of these makeshift stalls does, in fact, create traffic problems for drivers and pedestrians alike!!! Deciding to become a vendor, whether of agricultural produce or electrical appliance takes much more planning than merely taking one’s trays, crates, boxes, vans etc. and dropping anchor wherever they please and then DEMAND that the authorities find a place for them. What utter nonsense! And to think that we have Antiguans/Barbudans supporting this madness just goes to show how close we have become to selling out our unique cultural values and way of life.

You know Rawdon, the PM has given you the most un-popular task to do. Clean up the mess. It will make you very unpopular with many. But the calculation is that it will not effect your votes in St. Peters at all. You have such a safe seat down there. But I trust you to clean it up. Vendors in this country think they can setup shop everywhere and make the country looks like shanty town where ever they go. We need some order in this. There must be area’s declared that nop vending can take place. The police is not doing their job. Because all that the police needs to do is ticket everyone that stops there to purchase produce. Even on Friars Hill Road. Once the police start doing their job, no one would want to take the risk of being ticketed. Which means the vendors will have to relocate. Because what will they do without any business coming to them. The next thing I suggested many times. Instead of heaving people knock up their own tent and creating such ugly sights the SJDC needs to provide all legal vendors with the tents. These tents should be set-up by the SJDC and taken down by them at the end of the day. Set up at 6:00AM and taken down at 6:00PM given the vendors 12 hours to ply their trade. SJDC should also provide protable toilets for these vendors. Perhaps SJDC should invest in the mobile toilets. Those on wheels used by large events. This way you will keep the place clean and sanitized.
https://www.apexmarketstalls.co.uk/food-trader-stall.html
Rawdon as an architect you can easily design a easy demontable market stall made from galvanize tubing. I have seen how it is being done in the big European cities and it keeps things very tidy. Markets are the oldest places of where trading takes place. And it is a neccesity for every country. It is where one can measure the economic activity of a country. When things are slow it shows at the market. When things are buoyant you will also see it at the market. Vendors can register either daily for a place, or take a weekly or monthly rental. Rental fees should be paid in advance. Each market should have a market master who has the duty to oversee the daily operation. Ensuring that everyone vending is registered and that no one brings and set up additional tents or structures.
This way Antigua can have orderly and sightly looking market and vending areas.

I appreciate the invitation to discuss the future of our vending spaces. It’s essential that our voices are heard in these urban renewal plans.

Mi hope dem nah just talk and nuh do. We need real change, not just more promises.

Dem always a come wid big plans, but wha happen to di last one? We need action, not just talk.

Woods Pond have history. Any plan fi change it need fi respect di culture and di people who mek it what it is.

It’s great to see Minister Turner taking the time to visit the vendors personally. Engaging in “frank and fruitful discussions” is essential for understanding the challenges they face and working towards effective solutions. I believe this meeting on June 2 could lead to positive changes for the vendor area. It’s important that all voices are heard in these discussions.

Some of those vendors too damn nasty. Just making themselves anywhere

Operation hours should be managed by the vendors and no one else but in agreement with everything else if u want to open early or close late that should be your choice base on your customers timing…..when your hustling your hustling everyone needs are different.

What the hell is this, I must admit for once I agree with Faithful National #1

Bunch of pallet is a proper vendor site? Now they wan others pay for them a “Lovely spot”?
Let me know the outcome, because if they get a nice spot in other place..Im grabbing some pallet and ugly table to establish close by to get my spot also.
You wan to progress but this isn’t the way. Lot of places island wide are a disgrace to the eye of everyone.